Saugus man charged after allegedly shooting bulldog

Monday

Jul 14, 2014 at 4:45 PM

The Saugus Police Department issued the following press releaseSaugus Police Chief Domenic J. DiMella announced that a Saugus man is facing a multitude of charges after he allegedly shot and killed his dog after it bit a child.Richard Maltais, 50, does not possess a firearms identification card or a license to carry. He has never applied for one in Saugus. He has been charged with:• Possession of a firearm without a FID card (two counts)• Possession of ammunition without a FID card• Discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building• Animal cruelty, a felonyPolice responded at 1:26 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, 2014, to an address on Lynn Fells Parkway for a report of shots fired. Arriving officers were advised that the homeowner, later identified as Maltais, shot and killed an English bulldog outside the home after it had bitten a child and multiple other people inside the residence.Maltais told police that the dog had previously been a "rescue" and that it became aggressive and bit a 9-month-old baby girl and others in the home. Police found the body of the dog under a deck outside the home.Saugus Police spokesperson John Guilfoil said the baby suffered serious but non life-threatening injuries to her lower extremities. The other victims didn’t require medical treatment for their wounds.Police recovered two spent .380 shell casings and an unspent round. Police also found a Sig Sauer P230 .380 handgun and a Ruger .22 rifle, as well as boxes of assorted ammunition.Maltais will be summonsed to Lynn District Court at a later date on the above listed charges. He is accused of shooting the dog three times in the head, killing it, after the animal became aggressive.